City officials look over the new Miracle League baseball field at Brahan Spring Park today. The rubberized service is designed to accommodate electric wheelchairs used by many of the league's 165 players. (The Huntsville Times/Steve Doyle)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- When the Miracle League baseball season opens next month at Huntsville's Brahan Spring Park, players will be greeted by a rubberized field tailor-made for electric wheelchairs.

"From a comfort standpoint for our families, it's just a ton better," Miracle League Director Johnny Franklin said Thursday.

Franklin's daughter, who has Down syndrome, is among 165 special-needs children and adults signed up to play this fall on Brahan Spring Park's two handicap-accessible fields.

A playground designed for children with disabilities is nearing completion nearby.

"It's nice to see the park coming back to life," said Franklin. "It sat dormant for so long."

On Thursday, Mayor Tommy Battle and city recreation officials held a news conference to highlight more than $2 million in Brahan Spring Park upgrades made over the past three years.

The improvements include new picnic shelters, showers for beach volleyball players, free Wi-Fi access and the popular Everybody Can Play playground. Local Kiwanis and Optimist club members raised about $450,000 for the playground.

And there's more to come.

A space-themed "splash pad" is scheduled to open at Everybody Can Play this fall. The city is adding lights to two refurbished Brahan Spring soccer fields. The school system is giving Milton Frank Stadium a $3 million facelift.

Battle said he was frustrated to see Brahan Spring Park, located off Drake Avenue, "on a steady path of decline."

"It was unacceptable," he said. "Our department heads pulled together ... and made it their mission to transform this park back into a family playground that our public would be proud of, and one where they would feel safe to frequent."

The mayor said numerous city departments were involved in the park's revival, including police, public works, facilities, landscape management, general services, parks and recreation, and engineering.

Recreation Manager Steve Ivey said about 500 people are now using the Brahan Spring Park playgrounds, volleyball courts and picnic shelters every weekend.